Hiring and Supporting Student Employees

Open student positions must be posted in Handshake for a minimum of three business days. If you have questions, visit Handshake FAQ page or call us at (269) 387-2745.

Career readiness resources

Campus employment is an excellent vehicle for students to obtain skills desired by employers. Career and Student Employment Services offers a variety of resources, tools, and workshops to help your department maximize the benefits of student employment while assisting students in gaining transferable skills.

Career and Student Employment Services offers a Career Readiness Workshop for student employees, where students learn how to effectively articulate the skills gained while working on campus. Schedule the Career Readiness Certificate workshop by completing the form below, or contact wmu-handshake@wmich.edu if you would like more information or get the materials to conduct the workshop yourself.

5. Use ethical hiring practices

All offers should be made by phone, and a follow-up message should be sent via email or mail.

Send a job offer letter:

Dear (Student Name),

Thank you for interviewing for the position of xxx with xxx. Please consider this the official job offer for the stated position. As we discussed over the phone, your start date will be [insert date]. You will be compensated at the [insert pay level] [($wage/hr)] and will be scheduled to work [insert number of hours] per week with possible changes to the work schedule. You will be reporting to [insert job title]. You're welcome to contact me with any questions. We look forward to you joining our team!

To candidates not offered the job, email a courtesy message informing them a different candidate was selected:

Dear (Student Name),

Thank you for applying for the position of [insert position] with [insert department]. After careful consideration and assessment, we have decided to proceed with another applicant at this time. While your skills and background are impressive, we have received a large number of applications, and others more closely matched the current requirements. Again, thank you for your interest in employment at Western Michigan University and wish you luck in your future job search.

Hiring Student Employees

1. Enter student in Workflow

When a student is hired, staff from the hiring department must input student record in Workflow. To get access to Workflow, go to PeopleSoft Access and Reporting. Once approved you may enter new student employee via GoWMU. When hiring an international student has not yet received a social security number, use 99911222 in Workflow. Once the student employee receives official social security number, make the change in Student Employment Online Transactions.

Provide a safe, inclusive environment for the student to perform at their best.

The need for special accommodations, due to disabilities or other reasons, must be reported to the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE). OIE will help determine what accommodations can be provided.

If an hourly student employee works an eight-hour shift, they must take a minimum of a 30 minute unpaid lunch.

5. Recognition

Supervisors are expected to provide appropriate recognition for work well done by students and regularly provide feedback when work falls below expectations.

The campus celebrates the work of student employees annually during Student Employment Appreciation Week in February. Supervisors may nominate individual students for the annual Student Employee of the Year recognition.

Addressing Performance Issues

1. Supervisor responsibilities

Student employees must perform as expected by the supervisor. Explicit expectations should be provided to the student upon hire and reinforced on a regular basis. Students need to be given clear direction on changes needed to improve performance. When action is needed, supervisors follow these levels of direct action: provide a verbal warning, a written warning, and - if necessary - dismissal or termination. For details, review the Employee Conduct and Disciplinary Action section on HR website.

Supervisor support for this process is available through Career and Student Employment Services or Human Resources. Supervisors are encouraged to address problems when they occur to reduce escalation.

A performance evaluation should be administered at least once a year to review the student employee's performance, offer direction for improvement, and note exemplary work. The evaluation is based on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) career readiness competencies.

2. Student responsibilities

Students are afforded due process and can protest a termination. This is done by contacting Career and Student Employment Services. Depending on the situation, a meeting between the parties may be needed. Student employees (with the exception of teaching assistants) are not represented by a union.

2. Self-referral process for a student

The completed for will be reviewed by the case manager who will follow up with you to determine the next steps.

If you suspect that any employee could harm others, themselves or have an emergency, contact WMU Department of Public Safety at (269) 387-5555 or 911.

Terminating Student Employment

Upon leaving employment, whether employee-initiated or termination, employees should complete an exit interview. This process can help improve employment for students by providing helpful feedback about supervisors, work load, and the department.